Matthew 11:27 – “You (Father God) have entrusted Me (Jesus) with ALL that You are AND all that You have.” TPT

The Holy Spirit challenged me to believe big and expand my understanding of who we are in Christ. That nudge energizes me.

The declaration of Jesus in Matthew 11:27 is powerful and vitally important to victorious Christian living.  We need to meditate upon that declaration and let it soak into our spirits.  God entrusted Jesus with ALL God is and ALL God has.  Muse on that a moment.  Jesus was the expression and demonstration of ALL God is and has.

We are IN Him, and He is IN us.  Jesus said in Luke 10:19 that He has given us ALL authority (the authority He has).  Paul said in Romans 8:17 – that we are Joint heirs with Jesus. That means we have been entrusted with ALL Jesus us and has, and He is entrusted with ALL the Father is and has.  That gives additional power and revelation to Matthew 11:28-29.  It reveals the incredibleness of that promise.

“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden?  Come to Me.  I WILL refresh your life (not just you momentarily but your life), for I AM your oasis. 29 Simply join your life with Mine (die to self and become one with Jesus).  Learn My ways and you WILL DISCOVER that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please.  (Most people do not believe that. They think that God is hard to please).  You WILL find refreshment and rest in Me.  For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.”

Whatever we need, whenever we need it, is embodied in Jesus, and we are IN Jesus.  We need to develop spiritual eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds open to His revelation.   Matthew 13:12 – “For everyone (how many?)  Everyone who listens with an open heart WILL RECEIVE progressively more revelation UNTIL he has more than enough.”

It’s time we ceased begging God to do what He gave us authority to do.  It is time to quit making excuses and offering justifications for our lack. All things are possible with God, which means ALL things are possible with us.

Whom does He say we are?  Who do the devil, the world, other people, and our minds say we are?   We have to believe one report; which one do we choose?  Making that decision is step one.  Learning to believe and live it is number two.

We can only become once we decide to be.  God does not, cannot, and will not lie.   Therefore, today, He says we have authority, are joint heirs with Jesus, and are more than conquerors, and nothing is impossible.   What do we say?  Our answer determines our future and could mean life or death to many.

We can Be who He says we are!  He will take every step we take in the process of becoming.  The prize is ours IF we are willing to make the trip.

Have a fantastic day as you become who God says you are!

Genesis 26:2-3 – “The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. ³ Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham.”

Genesis 26:12-14 – “Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household so that the Philistines envied him.”

Here, we see Isaac in great obedience and faith.  There was Famine (trial, trouble, difficulty, lack, need, etc.). God said, “Do Not go down to Egypt (trust flesh, ability, possessions, others).  Stay Where You Are!” 

The Promise – “I will be with you and will Bless you and your descendants.   I Will Keep My Promises!”  In other words, Bloom Where You Are Planted through Obedience and Faith.  Isaac did just that, and God fulfilled His Promises.  Verse 12 – “Then Isaac sowed in that Land and received in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him.”

Wait just a minute!  He obeyed and received a hundredfold return.  Isn’t that a blessing?  But it says, and God blessed Him.  It was blessing upon blessing and in that Year!  It was not down the road someday in the sweet by and by, but in the now and now.

We can see things in the lives of the patriarchs that are missing in believers today.  What is that?  It is Expectation!  They believed that whatever God said, no matter how impossible it seemed, He would perform.  Therefore, obedience was a faith walk filled with sure hope and eager anticipation – Expectation!

To Bloom Where We Are Planted requires faith, hope, determination, trust, and expectation. In Hebrews 4:1-2, 6, we seem to miss a powerful truth.  Hebrews 4:2 – “For the gospel was preached to us as it was to them.”  It was the Gospel?  Yes, the Gospel has been proclaimed since the Garden of Eden- Passover for them, the animal skin covering for Adam and Eve, and the Cross for us.  They possessed as they walked in faith and obedience.

We can Bloom while resisting disobeying and trusting ourselves.  We need to surrender, believe, obey, and receive the promises.  God plants sometimes to enable us to learn obedience and trust.  Blooming comes from embracing His purposes rather than imposing our preferences.  I see the buds of the Bloom in you.  Embrace His purposes and watch the blooms come forth.

May you become the planting of the Lord and Bloom with His fullness!

Genesis 32:28 – “He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but ^[a]Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”

The thought of wrestling with God gripped my heart.  In Genesis 32, Jacob was returning home but knew Esau was coming.  He envisioned destruction because he knew his deception and Esau’s hatred.  

In the night, all alone, he encountered God and wrestled with Him.  The Lord or the Angel said, “Let me go, for the night is over, and daybreak has come.”  Jacob refused.  Persistence and a thirst for answers, assurance, protection, peace, and power drove him to persist.  Jacob said, “No way!  I won’t quit unless or until you answer my prayer.” Verse 28 contains a truth or revelation often overlooked. 

Here, we encounter his name or character change.  But what about the statement, “You have proved your strength wrestling with an angel and with man and have prevailed.”  He had Laban behind him, Esau in front of Him, and God or His angel in the present.  He prevailed!  

Proved his strength to whom?  Not God’s, He knows.  Not Esau’s.  Not Laban’s.   Whose Strength?  It was Jacob’s!  He learned the power of persistence.

In Hebrews 10:38 – “BUT the righteous shall live by MY faith…”

If we determine that nothing will be acceptable or that the only acceptable thing is God’s answer, peace, power, provision, protection, and person, we, too, will prevail and learn to live in His faith.  Nothing will deter us.  We will be who He says we are.  Who are we?

Wrestling with God is not to change God’s mind but our view of God, life, and ourselves.   As Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, it is those times that we overcome all obstacles in the spirit realm so that we can see God’s purposes in the seen realm.

On a personal note, we had hail the other morning, and I felt directed to command it to stop.  As I did, I sensed the angels closing the door of the storehouse of hail.   It stopped!  That is not to promote me but to reveal that sometimes we just need to exercise the authority God has given us as believers!

God will do that in everything you encounter.   Wrestling with God is for us and enhances our spiritual authority and power.  It is a confidence builder.  We may, like Jacob, walk with a limp, but we will be changed and see His protection and provision.

May God bless you richly as you pursue Him!

James 3:14 – “But if there is bitter jealousy or competition hiding in your heart, then don’t deny it and try to compensate for it by boasting and being phony. “ TPT

A reminder of God’s faithfulness and foresight loomed as I prayed, pondered, and read today.  As governor of the land in Egypt, Joseph said twice to his brothers.   “Your actions were intended for my hurt, but God took them and combined all the bad for His good purposes.”  

James reveals something that is most disturbing (to the flesh) and yet revelatory for victory.   Singleness of mind, focus, faith, and confidence are impossible to miss in his discourse.

Controlling the tongue is impossible without the Holy Spirit, and it enables us to bring our whole person into submission to God.  In James 3:14, he identifies the root of most of our trouble – the heart.

We tend to allow our mouths to talk us out of the blessings and victories God offers.  We often speak without weighing our words.  People have said, “I didn’t mean it when they spoke a curse on themselves or another.”  I do not know the motive, so I cannot judge, but if we are to walk in purity, which is needful to walk in power, we must guard our lips by guarding our thoughts.

James 4:6-10 should be memorized and implemented every day.

• Submit to God Totally. 
• Resist the devil in Everything and Every time.
• Draw near to God with Our Whole Hearts.
• Cleanse our hands (not just physical hygiene), but what we do.  Purify our hearts.   Ensure it is with pure motives and biblically correct.
• Humble ourselves and mourn (over sin, wrong attitudes, and actions).

If we seek God, we will find Him; He is always findable.   If we first seek God, then resist the devil out of God’s presence; the devil runs like a scared jackrabbit.

If we do not have it because we have not positioned our hearts to receive it, then, out of that condition, we petition God.   We have the promise of healing, deliverance, provision, power, and purpose.   In that condition, James 5:16 is fulfilled – “The effectual (effective) fervent prayer of the righteous is powerful and pulls down strongholds. “

That begins with confidence in God and obedience.   It flows to singleness of heart and mind.  It is manifest in our words and actions and results in God’s power being manifested.  We must train ourselves to think and talk right and to walk right.  If we press in, He reveals Himself and demonstrates Himself.

Today is your day of victory.   Refuse to be turned aside from the promise by your rudder (the tongue). Let it be a well of life, not death.

Exodus 4:31 – “The people believed God…”

God’s guidance and provision are your promise in Jesus.  He Never fails!  Several things challenged my heart as I read, prayed, and pondered. 

In Exodus, as God was issuing His promise of deliverance to a hopeless and abused people, He released Moses to begin the deliverance.  Moses hesitated and questioned in the wilderness.   Then, he yielded and believed the promise and went back to Egypt.

Moses shared with Aaron all that God had said, and with excitement and anticipation, they told the people that deliverance had come.  Exodus 4:31 tells us, “The people believed God.”  Of course, they were hoping hopelessly for this.   Moses had returned after 40 years with a revelation that deliverance was now.  They broke out in praise and worship.  They had been given a good word.  They expected it to be easy and would be for that moment in time!

It Was Not!  Things got much worse, so they turned on the messenger and began their pity party on steroids.  In Exodus 5:21, they spoke a curse on Moses.  They said, “You did this. Why? “The Lord spoke to my heart.  Proverbs 24:10 –  “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”

Also, we must never cast away our confidence in God. 

The promises of God are seldom without opposition and difficulty.   The devil is unwilling to see us prosper and thrive without challenge.    We dare not forget that our enemy seeks to devour.  In 1 Peter 1:13, Peter says an amazing thing – “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind…”  Who is to do that?  We are!  From the loins flow life or reproduction.

In 1 Peter 2:5, he makes another revelatory statement: “You (who? You!) as living stones, BUILD UP YOURSELVES and BECOME spiritual temples and Holy priests…”

God’s promises require our endurance and confidence in God.  We lose hope if we allow what we see to be in control.  We are to live by or in faith, not by what we see or perceive.

Israel believed UNTIL…

• Until Difficulty came. 
• until Persecution came. 
• Until it was no longer easy. 

Remember, being Easy is not the determiner of God’s Promise.  Job – “Though He slay me, I will trust Him.”  The 3 Hebrew children, “God can, but even if He doesn’t, we will not compromise or faith.”  When he knew the law had been signed, Daniel prayed, knowing his fate.   Paul, “I’ve fought the good fight, finished my race, and kept the faith.”

God Can Not and Will Not Lie!  Therefore, No Matter What, we must trust Him.  We must gird up the loins of our minds and retrain ourselves to agree with God.  He will not fail.   We will reap if we do not quit.  What we see is less real than what God says. 

We have a choice.  Will we believe what we see or what God says?  Victory is within our reach.  The outcome is dependent on enduring until.   We need to relearn or learn how to see, stop looking AT our problems, and begin looking to His Promises.   He Is the Living God!

May God equip and inspire you to trust Him fully and pursue His purposes with abandon!

2 Corinthians 11:3 – “But now I’m afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s clever lies, your thoughts may be corrupted, and you may lose your single-hearted devotion and pure love for Christ.”

A fundamental problem in deception is a wrong self-image. In the text, the apostle Paul expressed the concern that deception steals the peace and simplicity that comes from a pure and single-hearted devotion to Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 10:12, he warned against opening that door of pride by comparing ourselves with others.   What another has or does is not the measure of who we are.  Our measure is only our obedience and devotion to Christ.  It is not what we do but our devotion and obedience that God looks at. 

The Law of Reciprocity works in every area of life.  The harvest does not flow out of our great exploits but our love and willing obedience.   God gives us seed to sow and bread to eat.  Every grace abounds in the obedient and enables us to give.  We give what we have, and that is often other than material things.

In 2 Corinthians 6:6, he speaks of unhypocritical love.  What is that?  How can love be hypocritical?  Agape cannot be, but Phileo or Eros can.  Maintaining the sincerity and purity of our devotion enables us to walk as Jesus walked.  Jesus said, “I only do what I see the Father doing.  I only say what I hear the Father saying.”   That expressed His complete obedience as being the basic requirement of a relationship with the Father.   Singular devotion is essential.  Unhypocritical love is the key.

My prayer is, “Lord, help us never look at others as a comparison, but to see their need and pray about it and be generous in helping them.  Help us to have ears to hear & eyes to see.  Help us willingly allow the Holy Spirit to guard our minds, ears, hands, and mouths.   Transform us.  Amen.”

Today, I urge you to examine your hearts and eliminate any comparison to another person. Your standard is not someone else; it is the purity and sincerity of your devotion to Jesus. If He is FIRST, relax. You are where you need to be at this moment. Do not get stuck or complacent, but another’s gifts, abilities, blessings, or labors are not your concern—your heart is your concern.  

Just relax and be.  God will work His purposes in and through you in His time and way.  Just be!

May the Lord bless and keep you in my prayers!

Matthew 6:1 – “Examine your motives…”

Today, the Lord challenged me with challenging thoughts, and out of that, some powerful encouragement arose in my heart and mind. What was the challenge and encouragement?

Motives are possibly more important to God than acts—the why more than the what catches His eye.   In the matter of prayer, Jesus brought to light the reality and need to be simple, concise, and real.

Recently, I heard the LORD say, “Just talk to me. Don’t beg Me and try to manipulate Me. Just talk to Me.”  In Matthew 6, Jesus instructed us on the pathway to effective prayer. Some think that if they repeat a prayer, phrase, or declaration enough times, it influences God. Not according to Matthew 6.

Jesus said, “Follow this example of prayer…”

• Acknowledge God and His sovereignty.
• Make God the center or foundation out of which all we think and do streams.
• Invite God’s presence into our lives and situations.
• Embrace His purposes in our lives and open our hearts to His kingdom realm and authority.
• Acknowledge with Thanksgiving and Gratitude His provisions daily.
• Forgiveness – from Him to us and from us to others.   EVERYTHING!
• Release others from the chains of our judgment and release our judgments to God.
• Ask for and expect God’s deliverance in EVERY TRIAL, TEST, or TROUBLE.
• Recognize and verbalize God’s Lordship and power.  Bask in the reality of who He is.

Then, to remind us of the key element in effective prayer, He adds vv. 14-15 – “And when you pray, make sure you FORGIVE the faults of others SO THAT your Heavenly Father in heaven will also forgive you. 15 But if you withhold forgiveness from others, your Father withholds forgiveness from you.”

• What do we want most? 
• What is most valuable to us? 

Is it God and His purposes or our desires and preferences? This will reveal the motive of our prayers and our actions.

Matthew 6:22 is revelatory, “The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter your being.  If your heart is unclouded, the light floods in!”

What clouds the heart?   Anything that is elevated above or detracts from God and His purposes.  

The Golden Rule of Matthew 7:12-14 is critical in achieving peace, purpose, and power in God.

Matthew 6:12 – What we call the Golden Rule is not a stand-alone verse or truth.  It is connected to verses 13-14: “Enter through the narrow gate (treating others the way we want to be treated and following the precepts of God’s Word).  The wide gate to destruction is (living selfishly and mistreating others).” It says, “…nearly everyone chooses the crowded road (the road of self).  The narrow gate and difficult way (treating others the way we want to be treated and forgiving) the road that leads to life – so few find it.”

The way, the truth, and the life are ours, as is the promise that effective prayer moves mountains.   We have been called to be citizens of the kingdom and empowered to demonstrate it in this world.  

May the Spirit of the LORD guide you into the pathway of effective prayer and overwhelming victory in Jesus!

Exodus 4:30-31 – “And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had said to Moses, and performed the signs in the presence of the people.³¹ And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had remembered the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they knelt down and worshipped before the LORD.”

God’s guidance and provision are your promise in Jesus.  He NEVER fails!  In Exodus, as God was issuing His promise of deliverance to a hopeless and abused people, He released Moses to begin the deliverance.  Moses hesitated and questioned in the wilderness.   Then, he yielded and believed the promise.  He went back to Egypt.

Moses shared with Aaron all that God had said, and with excitement and anticipation, they told the people that deliverance had come.  Exodus 4:31 tells us, “The people believed God.”  Of course, they were hoping hopelessly for this.  Moses had returned after 40 years with a revelation that deliverance was now.  They broke out in praise & worship.  They had been given a good word.  They expected it to be easy and right then.  It Was Not!

Things got much worse, so they turned on the messenger and began their pity party on steroids.  In 5:21, they spoke a curse upon Moses.  They said to him, “You did this. Why?’   That causes me to remember the words of the LORD in Proverbs 24:10, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”   It is vital that we never cast away our confidence in God. 

The promises of God are seldom without opposition and difficulty.   The devil is unwilling to see us prosper and thrive without challenge.  We dare not forget that our enemy seeks to devour.  In 1 Peter 1:13, Peter says an amazing thing – “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind…”  Who is to do that?  We are!  From the loins flow life or reproduction.

In 1 Peter 2:5, he makes another revelatory statement: “You (who? You!) as living stones, BUILD UP YOURSELVES and BECOME spiritual temples and Holy priests…”  [Emphasis mine]. God’s promises require endurance and confidence in God.  We lose hope if we allow what we see to be in control.  We are to live by or in faith, not by what we see or perceive.

Israel believed “until” difficulty came.   They were okay “until” persecution came.  All was good “until” it was no longer easy.   We must never forget that easy is not the determiner of God’s Promise.  Remember the words of Job, “Though He slay me, I will trust Him.”  The Three Hebrew children understood this principle and said, “God can, but even if He doesn’t, we will not compromise our faith.”  When he knew the law had been signed, Daniel prayed, knowing his fate.   Paul, “I’ve fought the good fight, finished my race, and kept the faith.

God Cannot and Will Not Lie!  Therefore, No Matter What, we must trust Him.  Gird up the loins of your mind and retrain yourself to agree with God.  He will not fail.   We reap if we do not quit. 

Always remember that what we see in the natural is less real than what God says.  It is our choice; will we believe what we see or what God says?   Victory is within our reach. The outcome is dependent on enduring “until.”  We need to relearn or learn how to see and stop looking AT our problems and begin looking toward His Promises.   He Is the Living God!

Go in the peace and grace of God and enjoy the Victory and confidence that God Never Fails.

Exodus 17:8-16 – “Then came Amalek to fight with Israel at Rephidim.⁹ And Moses said to Joshua, Choose for yourself men, and go out, fight with Amalek tomorrow; and I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.¹⁰ So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and he went to fight with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.¹¹ And it came to pass, when Moses lifted up his hand, Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hands, Amalek prevailed.¹² But Moses hands became tired; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, the one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.¹³ And Joshua defeated Amalek with the edge of the sword.¹⁴ Then the LORD said to Moses. Write this for a memorial in a book and place it before Joshua; for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.¹⁵ And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nasi: ¹⁶ For he said, Behold, as the LORD has sworn, the LORD will fight with Amalek from generation to generation.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered this morning, I was reminded of a key to victory in Exodus 17.

The Bible has many types and symbols that are revelatory for our Christian walk and spiritual development. 

• Amalek is a type of flesh, and one of the first wars Israel fought in the wilderness was Amalek. 
• The wilderness is preparation for obtaining the promise and fully functioning in the kingdom.   There, Amalek opposed them. 
• The flesh (carnal nature) continually seeks to impede spiritual progress.   We yield too often.

As Joshua led the army into battle, the battle went back and forth.  It appeared that Israel would win, then that Amalek would win.  It was constantly drifting back and forth.   Doesn’t that sound like life for most of us?

The key to victory is revealed in the actions of Moses, Aaron, and Hur. 

• Aaron represents the priesthood.
• Hur the congregation. (Corporate – prophet, priest, people) working together.

The lifting up of the hands is a dual symbol.  It is Prayer and Praise!  There is a third element that should be included (that is surrender with expectation).  As long as Moses’ hands were up, supported by corporate prayer and praise, Joshua defeated Amalek.

The flesh (carnal nature) is defeated and overcome by personal and corporate prayer and praise.  If those elements are diminished, Amalek (the flesh) prevails.  The flesh is defeated or held in check if those elements are strengthened.

In 2 Peter 1:4, Peter reminds us that through God’s promises, which include God inhabiting us via praise, we become partakers of God’s divine nature.  That means the carnal nature is defeated if we partake of the divine nature. In that condition, we operate in authority and confidence.  We know who and whose we are.  We expect God to do and be Who He says He is and will do.

If something is holding you back, examine the activeness of prayer, praise, persistence, and surrender in your daily life.  You can overcome the flesh.  You are in the kingdom, and in the kingdom, there is no defeat.  Victory belongs to you – Shout it!

May you experience the overflowing victory of God through Prayer and Praise today! 

Exodus 23:20 – “Behold, I will send an angel before you to GUARD you on the way AND to bring you into the land which I have prepared.” [Emphasis mine.]

As I read, prayed, and meditated today, a promise of God to Israel resonated with me.   Since God is without partiality, if He would do that for them, He surely will do it for us.

Reflecting on Exodus 23, I said, “I receive it for myself.”  Then Psalm 23 and Psalm 91 arose in my consciousness.  As I relished the deep comfort and truth of those Psalms, the Holy Spirit brought to my mind the Truth of “Lifestyle Persistence,” as is revealed in 1 John.

What do I mean by “Lifestyle Persistence?”  John gave some incredible revelations and guidance regarding our daily lives, worship, righteousness demonstration, and interpersonal relationships!  He spoke of a lifestyle of sin and a lifestyle of righteousness.

I do not mean having both, but one or the other.  If we practice sin, not just stumbling occasionally but developing a lifestyle of disobedience, we experience God’s disfavor, which separates us from God. On the other hand, if we practice righteousness, we find God’s favor.   I do not mean to imply that we can earn it.  It is an outworking of our heart’s true condition.

1 John 3:9-10 – “Whoever is born of God Does Not commit sin Because God’s seed is in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God.  10. In this, the children of God can be distinguished from the children of evil; Whoever Does Not Practice righteousness and does not love his brother does not belong to God.”

• Lifestyle and not a singular moment or act.  Practice is the key.

What almost seems like an aside but isn’t is 1 John 5:14-15: “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask Anything according to His will, He Hears us; for If we beseech Him to hear us concerning the things that we ask of Him, we are assured that we have Already Received from Him those things that we desire.”

1 John 5:18 – “We Know that Everyone who is born of God does not sin; for he who is born of God Guards himself, and the evil one does not come near him.”

• If We Practice a lifestyle of righteousness, obedience, and love, the angel guides and guards us.

We are enabled and emboldened to resist the devil, and he has to flee!  It is time to exercise our authority in Christ over every facet of our lives.  You and your house are part of the promise.  If Jesus is the same past, present, and future and no respecter of person – Why Not Now?  It is time to Claim Your Promises!

May the Incredible Creator of All Things Empower You to Be Who He says you are!